Research On The Poets In Song Dynasties Based On Comprehensive Relevant Materials

The progress of the Research on Literary History is dependent on the update of theoretical methods, especially on the augmentation and accumulation of empirical research, that is, the discovery of new historical materials and the settlement of historical issues. Up to now, there are very few systematic studies on the life-long deeds of the composers in the Song Dynasties. Hence, people know little about the life deeds of the overwhelming majority of those composers, let alone have done any systematic textual research, about most of whom the rough living ages are not even confirmed. The vagueness of their lifelong deeds will definitely prevent people defining their status in the literary history, as well as from grasping and understanding in a comprehensive way the progress of the literary history. On this account, the author has in his project made a systematic, integrated and practical textual research on the lifelong deeds of the11poets in the Song Dynasties such as Wu Zhongfu, Feng Jing, Wang Shao, Wu Fu, Wang Zhi, Qiu Chong, Wang Sui, Wang Mai, Zhao Yifu, Wang Yan and Wang Ruan, including their native places, genealogies, dates of birth and death, experiences as officials, friends, chronicles of the living places where they composed and so on. In his project, the author has compiled detailed life chronicles of the9composers of Wu Zhongfu and others, and done the textual research on the living years of Wang Yan and Wang Ruan, who actually belong to the three groups according to the times of their living. Wu Zhongfu, Feng Jing and Wang Shao were the famous politicians and ministers in the Northern Song Dynasty, among whom Feng and Wang were colleagues in the Privy Council during the years of Xining, who have ever left some poems and articles. As prominent figures in the literary circles during the years of Zhongxing, Wu Fu, Wang Zhi, Qiu Chong, Wang Yan and Wang Ruan have handed down their personal literary collections. Since they all advocated to fight, their compositions overflow with patriotic feelings, which erupt out passion to their nation, presenting a bold and unconstrained style. Among them, Wang Zhi and Wang Ruan had a very close relationship with each other and shared the same interests, while Wang Sui, Wang Mai and Zhao Yifu, the important composers and prestigious officials during the reign of Lizhong in the South Song Dynasty, also frequently visited each other, composed and replied reciprocally. The innovative points from this project lie in that:1. the rectification of the dates of birth and death and the native places about the objects under research leads to the straightening of the origins of genealogy so that some void has been filled and some uncertain explanations, clarified;2. the clarification of the chronicles of both their experiences of being officials and living places virtually means finding out the surroundings and mental states for their composition, which no doubt provides an essential foundation for the ensuing research and brought with great, breakthrough toward this topic;3. the investigation of the life course of poets may also facilitate to know the process of growth of poets’artistic styles, and this is a distinct breakthrough as well;4. in the course of the research, the author tries hard to dig out multiple channels to the sources of historical materials, such as local records, carved versions on metals and stones, genealogical diagrams and so on, and to explore those materials in depth, which is also a breakthrough of itself;5. the author has made full use of those existing available achievements from textual research and meanwhile offered a good supplement for the research on the lifelong deeds of the relevant composers who had frequent association with those figures above mentioned;6. Through the certification of the ownership of some compositions and gathering of some poems and articles beyond those collections handed down, the author has also obtained a large number of extensive achievements. In summary, since these composers have so far not been studied systematically or not even got into involvement, each conclusion from textual research possesses innovative significance and means a breakthrough in a way, and thus plays a very active role in the research on the literary history in the Song Dynasties, particularly on the research of the history of the poems and Ci of the Song Dynasties.